


the family he'd never seen coming

by starzinoureyes



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, and shes still the smartest one in the room, thats right kids nacho is back
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28498041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starzinoureyes/pseuds/starzinoureyes
Summary: Jared and Connor still went home during breaks, which meant that Nacho would have to come with them.  The only problem was that the Murphys had a dog.
Relationships: Jared Kleinman/Connor Murphy
Kudos: 11





	the family he'd never seen coming

**Author's Note:**

> gift for djbead123 as part of the sincerely-us gift exchange! The original prompt was "Kleinphy, with their two pets and they're having a fun day out. Jared has a pet kitty and connor has a pitbull mix" so of course I had to bring back the loml Nacho for the occasion! I hope this was what you had in mind!

It took the better part of a month for Jared to realize one major thing he’d failed to consider when adopting a cat. It wasn’t so much that he’d failed to consider it, because surely it had come up in their hypothetical conversations before the fact. Or it probably would have, if Jared hadn’t jumped the gun.

Jared and Connor still went home during breaks, which meant that Nacho would have to come with them.

And that would be fine, probably. A bit of a hassle, and Jared was aware he already wasn’t the most responsible planner when it came to travel, but it would be fine.

It was just…Connor had a dog, and usually the boys spent most of their time at the Murphy’s. Aro was a gentle dog, and Jared couldn’t imagine him hurting a fly, but he was worried that Nacho would freak. Or whatever the Nacho equivalent of freak was. Mostly she just rolled her eyes, honestly. Jared was the only one in the house prone to freak-outs. Maybe he was freaking out now. Or projecting.

“We can hang out at yours if you’re really worried,” Connor broke him out of his thoughts. Jared pulled his eyes from the road just long enough to smile at his boyfriend, who was cradling Nacho like a disgruntled baby in one arm. She should probably be in her crate for a ride this long, but Jared certainly wasn’t going to be the one to say that.

“I like yours better though,” Jared sighed. “Your room is bigger, and your mom actually cooks.”

“She doesn’t leave us alone though.”

“I’ll take that over scavenging for dinner every night.”

“Ordering a pizza is hardly ‘scavenging,’ but I get your point,” Connor huffed, lifting the arm not responsible for holding their child to comfortingly scratch at the back of Jared’s neck. He had to resist closing his eyes and leaning into the touch, lest he accidentally drive them into a ditch, but he felt himself relaxing nonetheless. Connor was just magic like that.

“And I’m not really worried,” Jared assured him.

“Yes, I can see that,” Connor replied, and Jared could practically hear him roll his eyes. “We can keep Aro out of my room whenever she’s there, if that would make you feel better.”

“But you haven’t had your dog time in months,” Jared frowned. 

“I think I’m covered in the animal department with this monster,” Connor assured him, retracting his hand from Jared’s neck, presumably to do something embarrassing like boop Nacho on the nose. Her soft  _ hiss _ confirmed his assumption, and Jared fought back a smile. Connor could deny it all he wanted, but he loved that cat more than he loved anything in the world, including Jared himself. Jared would be more offended if he didn’t feel the same.

It was approaching dinner time when they pulled up to the Murphys’ familiar house at the end of the cul-de-sac. Jared didn’t actually know if his own parents were around tonight, but he figured they wouldn’t miss him if he waited until the next morning to check in. As soon as he turned the car off, Jared reached across to pick Nacho up from Connor’s lap. Connor made a noise of protest, but didn’t make any move to stop him, and Nacho was too used to being passed back and forth between the boys to put up a fuss. 

Jared lifted her up to press her tiny forehead against his and quickly pecked her nose before tucking her into his arm like Connor had had her. “Missed you, sweet girl,” he cooed. Nacho blinked up at him expressionlessly, like she just tolerated his antics, which was probably pretty accurate. 

“If you’re done being ridiculous, I haven’t eaten in four hours,” Connor huffed, but when Jared looked up at him he was smiling softly at the two of them.

“You know you adore me,” he teased, pinching Connor’s cheek playfully.

Connor muttered something that sounded like  _ bane of my existence _ as he got out of the car.

Jared surrendered the cat to her crate as they gathered their belongings, both for the sake of arm space, and because he knew Aro tended to get excited when Connor came home and he didn’t want Nacho to get lost in the shuffle.

Sure enough, he could hear barking before the front door was even open, and Connor absolutely lit up at the sound. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight these days, seeing his boyfriend so happy, but it still made Jared’s heart flutter in a stupid way every time he caught a glimpse of Connor’s genuine smile. 

Zoe opened the door before they even made it up the front steps, and out rushed Aro, practically tackling Connor on the sidewalk. It was equally possible that Connor had initiated the tackling. Either way, in an instant he was completely tangled up with his dog. Aro wasn’t a huge dog, but he wasn’t tiny either. He was short and stocky—a completely opposite build from Connor—and dark black with a white stripe running down between his eyes.

Jared watched the two of them fondly, but subconsciously found himself taking a step back and shifting his body so that he was in between Nacho’s crate and Aro. Aro wasn’t even paying them any mind; Jared knew he had no reason to be concerned, but he’d never been good with new things, and until this point Nacho hadn’t spent much time outside their apartment. Jared wondered if this was what new parents felt like taking their babies on a walk for the first time.

“C’mere, Jare,” Connor smiled up at him, one of the real smiles that crinkled his entire face and reminded Jared of just how in love he was. “I can hold the crate if you wanna say hi.”

Jared smiled and nodded gratefully, handing the cat crate off to his boyfriend before crouching down to greet the Murphy family dog. “Hey there, bud,” he cooed gently, scratching under both ears the way Aro liked. “Long time no see, huh? You being good for the grandparents?”

“Don’t let my parents hear you say that,” Zoe laughed from the doorway. “My dad is still convinced it’s his dog.”

“It’s my dog,” Connor pouted.

“We share the dog, asshole,” Zoe shot back. “Mom’s got dinner waiting.”

Aro perked up at the mention of dinner and rocketed into the house, presumably in the direction of his own food, leaving Jared sitting on the cold concrete. Connor laughed and took advantage of the position to ruffle his hair, shooting him a wink when Jared tried glaring at him. 

They brought their bags up to Connor’s room and set up the litter box and food dish so that Nacho could walk around while they ate, albeit with the door to the room tightly shut. Even Connor double checked that the room was secured before they joined the rest of his family downstairs, squeezing Jared’s hand sympathetically. Jared wasn’t sure if it was for Connor’s benefit or his own, but he appreciated nonetheless that they were in this together.

Dinner was louder than Jared remembered it being, with everyone catching each other up on their lives. He’d spent many an evening with the Murphys back in high school, both before and after he and Connor started dating. Meals were civil—mostly—but short and sweet, like if they spent too much time in each other’s presence it would disrupt the fragile peace they’d achieved.

Not tonight, apparently. Jared was the quietest one at the table as Connor described his classes and Zoe told stories about the band she’d started and Mrs. Murphy shared the latest gossip at her gym and Mr Murphy asked engaging questions about all of it and Jared thought it might be the most functional family gathering he’d ever attended.

“So Zoe tells me you boys adopted a cat?” Mrs. Murphy directed her question at Jared, but it was Connor—still in a social mood, apparently—who answered.

“Jared adopted a cat. I just play with the cat.”

“We share the cat,” Jared corrected, narrowing his eyes and sticking his tongue out at his boyfriend. “He likes to pretend he doesn’t care, but she’s just as much his cat as mine.”

“Jared named her Nacho.”

“Why the fuck would you give her such a horrible name?” Zoe made a face.

“Because Jared lives to make me miserable,” Connor sighed at the same time as Jared replied, “Because I wanted to piss off your brother.” The two boys looked at each other and burst into giggles.

“She’s your damn cat, her name was your responsibility,” Connor teased, only fondness behind his words now.

“And I would say I took that responsibility very seriously,” Jared replied smugly, and this time it was Connor’s turn to stick his tongue out.

“I’m pretty sure that borders on animal abuse,” Zoe grumbled.

Connor turned to Jared again, a hint of laughter still in his eyes, and Jared was pretty sure he was looking back with the most idiotic, lovestruck expression on his face when Connor replied, “nah, I think it suits her perfectly.”

\--

Nacho had a bed of her own, but Jared could count on one hand the number of nights she’d slept in it. Jared had started bringing her into bed every night just to see if Connor would tell him he couldn’t, which Connor never did, so she would stay there curled against Jared’s side while they slept. Eventually, Connor started bringing her to bed all on his own, claiming that he knew Jared liked to have her close, but Jared knew that Connor took comfort in her presence just as much as he did. Now Nacho climbed into bed with them of her own accord, because she’s a good sport like that, even though Jared suspected she wouldn’t mind her own space.

Tonight was no different, except that when they made their way upstairs again, Nacho was already sitting on top of Connor’s bed waiting for them, glancing around at her surroundings with an expression of confusion or alarm. Jared, protective as always, rushed to her side and pulled her into his lap.

“Hey sweetheart, we’re here,” he murmured softly, stroking the back of her head gently as she nuzzled into the touch. They’d only been gone an hour, but Jared already felt bad for leaving her alone in a strange place for so long. “Connor, come cuddle our child,” he instructed. Connor rolled his eyes but obliged, sitting next to them on the bed and pulling Jared back against the pillows so that they were all three cuddled together.

“If we introduce her to Aro she won’t have to stay up here with the door closed,” Connor pointed out quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of Jared’s head.

“I know,” Jared sighed. “I wasn’t planning on keeping her locked up here all week. That’s not fair to her.”

“You know he’s really gentle,” Connor assured him. “And usually pretty calm. And she’s a brave girl, so she won’t freak out and get him worked up.”

“She was so scared up here alone,” Jared whispered. “Did you see her face? Like she thought we just left her here.”

“She’s fine,” Connor promised, scratching at Nacho’s chin. She rewarded him with a soft purr and licked his hand. “See? Just adjusting to a new environment, but she’s as spoiled as ever. Probably not used to having to walk that far on her own,” he added with a grin.

“Yeah, I know,” Jared sighed. “I just always want her to be happy. She takes such good care of us, I wanna take care of her too.”

“You take great care of her, Jare. She’s really lucky you two found each other, okay? She knows she’s loved, even if we leave the room for an hour,” Connor replied, tilting Jared’s face towards him so that Connor could look into his eyes, punctuating the assurance with a peck on the lips. “Now I’m gonna go shower, and then when I get back, you can go shower, and then all three of us can get some sleep, okay?”

“It’s not even midnight,” Jared whined.

“Yeah, but travelling is exhausting. Especially for you, driving all afternoon,” Connor pointed out. “We can watch an episode of something if you want, but don’t feel like you have to prove anything to me.”

Jared was about to protest, but his words were cut off by the sudden interruption of a yawn, and Jared wanted to smack the smug expression off his boyfriend’s face.

“You were saying?” Connor smirked.

“Lemme shower first,” Jared grumbled, not wanting to admit that Connor’s suggestion of sleep had made known to him just how tired he was. Connor, to his credit, didn’t call him out on it. Just replied with a gentle “whatever you want, love,” and took Nacho from Jared’s lap so he could get up.

Jared didn’t know what he’d done to deserve someone like Connor in his life.

\--

Jared woke up to Nacho pawing at his face just like he always did, and smiled softly to himself. Connor was still snoring next to him, face pressed into the pillow and one arm slung half-across Jared’s waist, while Nacho had moved from her nest between them to sit square on Jared’s chest, ensuring that he couldn’t ignore her. Not that he would ever  _ dream  _ of ignoring her.

He sat up carefully, trying not to wake Connor, and cradled Nacho in his arms as he stepped out of bed. She meowed softly, her own version of protesting on principle, but didn’t squirm, so Jared knew she didn’t actually want to be put down. He carried her with him to the bathroom across the hall, setting her down on the heated floor as he went about his business, grinning at the disgruntled look on her face at the unfamiliar surroundings. She just sat there glaring, like the room had done her some great harm and she was plotting her revenge. Actually, that wouldn’t surprise Jared in the slightest. He made a mental note to make sure she wasn’t allowed in the bathroom unsupervised.

Connor was sitting up, blinking in sleepy confusion when Jared returned, cat once again tucked in his arm. “You took my space heater,” he accused, making adorable grabby hands at the two of them.

“Sorry, the princess demanded attention,” Jared grinned in response, holding her out for Connor to take. He did so, but then reached out again for Jared.

“Not the space heater I was referring to,” he pouted, and Jared simply had no choice but to climb back in with him, cuddling his boyfriend close against his side.

“Better?” he asked fondly, pressing a kiss to Connor’s forehead.

“Mhm,” Connor nodded in response. “Love you.”

“Love you too, baby,” Jared murmured. Nacho bumped his arm with her head. “Yes, I love you too, sweet girl,” he laughed softly, reaching over to pet her.

“She knows she runs this whole show, you don’t always have to remind her,” Connor hummed, pressing soft little kisses to Jared’s jaw.

“No but see, that’s the secret to parenting. Good cop, bad cop. You can be strict with her, so she knows she can’t get away with everything, and I can remind her that she’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to us. It’s foolproof. If you can resist spoiling her, that is,” Jared grinned at his boyfriend’s whine of protest.

“I don’t spoil her. I’m just trying to take care of her,” Connor argued, lifting his head just enough to shoot Jared a weak glare, that was honestly more adorable than threatening, what with the sleep still lingering in his expression.

“You’re the reason she whines as soon as we stop carrying her,” Jared teased. “God forbid the princess lift a foot to get from the bedroom to the couch.”

“She’s so small! She could get lost!” Connor huffed, burying his face in Jared’s neck.

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” Jared smirked, kissing the top of his head again.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted them just enough for Connor to sit up, then Zoe was opening the door and Aro was bounding in, clearly still excited to have Connor home, and Jared practically jumped to make sure Nacho was secure before the dog made it to the bed. He could imagine the look of panic on his face, but he was surprised to find it mirrored on Connor’s as he physically shielded her from the oncoming animal.

Nacho, for her part, couldn’t have looked more unaffected if she tried. Aro had stopped as soon as he was on the bed, like he’d noticed their concern and wanted to make sure they were okay. He stared up at them and Nacho stared right back, substantially calmer than either human was at that point. Neither of them moved, like they were studying each other. It took Jared back to the animal shelter a few months ago when he’d found himself in a similar stare-off with his future pet, and he wondered how long Aro would hold out for. And how he would react once someone made the first move.

“Shit, sorry, I didn’t know he was behind me,” Zoe apologized, hurrying into the room to shepherd Aro back into the hallway. “Mom just wanted me to let you know that she can make breakfast whenever you’re up.”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Connor replied distractedly, and Jared glanced over at him to see his gaze dart between Nacho and Aro, holding his breath just a little bit. Tense, like he was ready to run Nacho out of there at a moment’s notice, but upon observing the scene in front of him, Jared was glad he was holding off.

Aro laid down at the end of the bed, head on top of his paws as he studied Nacho, and Nacho tilted her head curiously. She meowed softly, experimentally, and Aro gave only a quiet whine in response. Something about it must have been what she was looking for, because she squirmed out of Connor’s grip—his surprise giving her the opportunity to get away—and padded down to the end of the bed too. She stopped immediately in front of Aro and mirrored his position, her tiny head just inches away from his.

Jared squeezed Connor’s hand to ground himself, fighting the instinct to pull her back to the safety of his and Connor’s arms. Aro still hadn’t moved, he knew he had no reason to overreact just yet. But she was so small, especially laying right in front of him like that, it would be so easy for something to happen to her. Connor squeezed back, his other hand gripping the sheet, and Jared imagined a similar thought process in his boyfriend’s head.

Nacho leaned forward to nudge her head against Aro’s nose and meowed again when he didn’t move, this time sounding more irritated than anything, and Jared let out a shaky breath as she stood again and batted his face with her paw. Aro just looked back at her, blinking slowly in mild confusion as he let her explore. Beside him, Connor laughed softly.

“See? Told you he’d be gentle,” he murmured. Jared elbowed his side.

“Fuck off, you were nervous too,” Jared huffed. Nacho hissed at them, presumably dissatisfied at how the bed had moved when Jared threw an elbow, which just led to the two of them and Zoe dissolving into hysterical laughter while Nacho hissed again and plopped herself down at Aro’s side, clearly having decided who was her friend in the room, which just set them off again.

“Should I tell mom you’ll be down in a bit?” Zoe asked once they’d all composed themselves again.

“Yeah, we can be ready whenever,” Connor agreed, keeping his eyes trained on the animals at the end of the bed. Zoe nodded and went back downstairs, leaving just the four of them in the room.

“Hey, c’mere buddy,” Connor leaned forward and scratched Aro behind his ear. Nacho made a sound of protest, like she didn’t want to be left out, so Jared scooped her up again to give her a kiss on her tiny forehead. Aro carefully stood and stepped forward just enough to cuddle in Connor’s lap, resting his head on the leg closest to Jared. Jared let Nacho down too, and the two animals resumed their staring match.

“Do you think she’s planning how to kill him, or how to brainwash him into being her servant?” Jared asked after a few moments of stillness.

Connor chuckled. “Both, probably. Murder would be too easy for her. She might as well get some use out of him first. Guess we were worried about protecting the wrong animal.”

“As if she couldn’t get us out of the way easily,” Jared rolled his eyes, petting the back of her head again. She glared up at him, annoyed that he’d distracted her, before returning her attention to Aro.

“I’d like to think she uses her powers for good, though,” Connor added softly. “She’s a menace, but she’s such a sweet girl. I’d love for them to be friends.”

Aro whined again and Nacho climbed over Jared’s leg to nuzzle his face, and Jared thought Connor might cry.

“Looks like you may be getting your wish, baby.”

\--

“Y’know, she’s really more of an indoor cat,” Jared pointed out nervously as the boys loaded Nacho and Aro into the back seat of Jared’s car. They’d brought Nacho down to breakfast with them, setting up her food bowl next to Aro’s. It was a relief that she seemed to be both safe and comfortable in the Murphy house, and Jared felt at least a bit more comfortable letting her roam around, so long as either he or Connor could see her. Fortunately, she also preferred to have one of them in her line of sight as well, and had spent most of the meal weaving between the legs of the kitchen table to see who would give her attention. Aro had spent most of the meal following her.

It had been Connor’s mom who suggested the boys take the pets out for a bit. She claimed it was Connor’s turn to take Aro for a walk anyways, and surely Nacho would enjoy the fresh air. Jared didn’t actually remember agreeing to this, but here he was.

“I think Jared is an indoor person, and is using his perfectly normal cat as a scapegoat,” Connor smirked, taking the keys from Jared’s back pocket as he stole a kiss.

“Both Jared and Nacho are best suited for temperature control and shade,” Jared huffed.

“Jared can sit under a tree then,” Connor rolled his eyes, patting Jared’s cheek and climbing into the driver’s seat—something else Jared didn’t remember agreeing to. Clearly his authority wasn’t being taken seriously.

He did find a tree, just as Connor had suggested, and parked himself there, sitting up against the trunk while Nacho sat in the grass beside him. She didn’t seem to mind the change of scene, but observing remained her favorite activity, so she just watched as Connor tossed a ball for Aro to chase and made no move to participate herself. Jared knew he’d had good instincts in choosing her.

It was something special getting to watch Connor out here, though. Normally, Jared wouldn’t think of Connor as an outdoorsy person either; sitting on the couch playing video games was something the two of them had in common. But Aro energized him in a way that not much else did, and Jared could see why the dog had been such a turning point in Connor’s mental health. 

“What are you smiling at?” Connor turned to him with a grin, and Jared didn’t even feel bad he’d gotten caught staring.

“You. Just thinking about how beautiful you are. And how much I love when you’re happy,” Jared commented honestly, making no effort to hide the dopey smile on his face.

Connor rolled his eyes, a shy blush coloring his cheeks, and Jared held his arms open for him to come sit with him for a bit. Connor obliged, plopping down next to him with an exaggerated kiss on his cheek.

“Jesus Christ, that was  _ not _ what I was looking for,” Jared huffed, unable to pretend he was actually annoyed.

“Too bad,” Connor grinned. “That’s what you deserve.”

“You’re so needy.”

“You’re so whiny.”

“You’re so…” Jared trailed off as he scanned Connor’s face and felt his breath catch. It was ridiculous, really, he’d been looking at Connor’s face for years now. There was no reason for him to still be caught off-guard by it, but there were just...moments. Where it really hit him that this was the face of the person who he loved and loved him more than anything else in the world. It was dizzying, the overwhelming feeling of love.

“Babe?” Connor interrupted him softly.

“I just love you so much it’s insane,” he whispered, and Connor rewarded him with another giddy smile and a kiss, cupping his face gently and leaning into it.

This had to be what happiness felt like, Jared decided. Connor’s arm around his waist while they watched Nacho and Aro play together in the grass beside them. Aro had more energy now too, but was as gentle with Nacho as ever, despite her repeatedly swiping at his nose like a toy. It reminded Jared of the dynamic between Connor and Zoe, now that they were on better terms, and the word  _ family _ shot to the front of his mind again. This was his family, now. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so not alone.

Certainly couldn’t remember anyone but Connor making him feel like that.

“I love you too,” Connor replied once they’d parted, just as softly and just as loving. Nacho interrupted with an impatient  _ meow _ and Aro chimed in with a bark of his own, and Jared leaned his head against Connor’s shoulder as he allowed himself to laugh. He stroked a hand down Nacho’s back and she leaned into the touch, purring softly. Aro climbed over his legs so that he was draped across both Jared and Connor’s laps, tail wagging in excitement as Connor scratched behind his ear. Jared lifted Nacho so that she could join their cuddle pile, and she immediately settled against Aro’s side. 

Connor shifted and kissed Jared’s forehead and Jared closed his eyes, a peaceful smile on his face, like he could stay like this forever.

Jared really thought he could.

**Author's Note:**

> if you want to see how they came to adopt nacho, you can check out my fic “impulsive decisions jared makes while unsupervised” bc we love jared with a cat in this house


End file.
